Yogyakarta

[GordonS]

Following on from my recent post about Bali, I'm also going to be in Yogyakarta for 4 nights in June.

So far I've got these on the list of possibilities:

Gudeg Sagan, 53 Jalan Prof. DR.Herman Yohanes
Sasanti, 52B Jalan Palagan Tentara Pelajar
Pecek Solo, 52 Jalan Palagan Tentara Pelajar
Kesuma, Gang Sartono
Ayam Goreng Bu Tini, 17 Jalan Sultan Agung

I'm looking to try local food, like gudeg, ayam goreng and the like. Also interested to know if there are any good areas for street food at night.

Any suggestions for streetfood or places to eat would be appreciated!

[klyeoh]

There's also a wealth of eating recs on the Indonesian language websites, e.g. the one below entitled "7 Tempat Makan Paling Top di Jogja" ('The 7 Top Eating Places in Jogja')

http://tujuhpedia.com/7-tempat-makan-...

They are:
1.Sate Sapi Lapangan Karang, Kotagede - Beef sate. Been around since 1948 but at this location since 1955. Grilled beef skewers, served with a choice of thick peanut sauce, or a coconut-creme-scented vegetable stew.
2. Sate Goreng Ringin, Kronggahan - Mutton sate (been operating since 1978).
3. SGPC Bu Wiryo, Selokan Mataram - a one-plate meal consisting of steamed rice with various vegetable & meat dishes (pecel) with chilli/condiments.
4. Gado-gado Teteg - a warm vegetables/tofu/tempe salad with spicy peanut-chilli sauce, topped with rice-prawn crisps. Done well, gado-gado will have a wonderful blend of different flavors & textures.
5. Bakmi Kadin - a must-visit for any culinary visitor to Jogja. It offers 2 types of noodles: fried or braised. Started in 1947, now run by the third-generation of the founding family.
6. Bakmi Pak Pele. Apparently, this popular noodle stall gotits name from its owner-cook, Pak Suhardiman, who was nicknamed Pak Pele due to his resemblance to the legendary Brazilian soccer player. Various types of noodles, all cooked over charcoal-fired stoves which imparts a fragrantr aroma to the noodle dishes.
7. Bebek Goreng Cak Koting - Crisp-fried duck. Cak Koting is located outside Mataram cinema. For diners with an aversion towards duck, one can choose crisp-fried chicken, pigeon, innards/organs, or fish.

From the detailed description in the article, I believe the dishes are very much tailored towards the local (Central Javanese) palate with no concession for outsiders' tastes. Try them if you're feeling adventurous, or just want to taste what locals *really* eat :-)

[GordonS]

This is fantastic, many thanks once again :D

Looks like my big issue now is deciding where to eat from such a large number of choices!!

[milloy17]

These posts were incredibly helpful! Trying to narrow it down since we are only in Yogyakarta for a short time. Will be walking around Malioboro for the first night we are there - suggestions for dinner-- happy to eat all stalls too? Second day we will need somewhere for dinner near Prambanan. Last day, need somewhere for lunch between Borobudur and the airport. Thoughts?

[klyeoh]

Great, now you can try the good restaurants in Jogja & report back. I only hit the tip of the iceberg where dining options in Jogja/Yogya is concerned as my trip there last year was mainly to visit the Borobudur and Prambanan sites.

Jalan Malioboro in the city centre is a teeming, lively spot for night-eats. I only managed to try the "ayam soto" there for breakfast:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/814793

No visit to Yogyakarta is complete without trying the Indonesian-style fried chicken where it was invented. Read Robyn Eckhardt's definitive article on MBok Berek on the Wall Street Journal here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124591041672752227.html

I had a great dinner at MBok Berek last year:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/814718

Mind you - MBok Berek does not serve "nasi gudeg", but you can find that at Ayam Goreng Ny. Suharti, Jalan Laksda Adisucipto No. 208. Tel: [phone]. Ayam Goreng Ny Suharti also serves awesome fried chicken, and has branches in Jakarta, Surabaya, etc.

I depended very much upon a good food guide I bought there entitled "Monggo Mampir - Megudap Rasa Secara Jogja" which you can pick-up from any of the large Gramedia bookstores in town. It listed down "Tempat Makan Legendaris di Jogja" or 'Legendary Eating Places in Jogja'.

Per Monggo Mampir, for sate options in the city centre, the top-rated places are:
1. Sate Pak Kromo, Jl. Suryotomo No. 3. Tel: [phone]
2. Sate Podomoro, Jl. Mataram No. 11. Tel: [phone]
3. Sate Pak Amat, Jl. Pekapalan No. 5, Tel: [phone]
4. Sate Pak Dakir, Jl HOS Cokroaminoto 75. Tel: [phone]
5. Sate Pak Parno, Jl. Depan Pasar Lempuyangan. No tel number.

For gudeg options:
1. Gudeg Bu Djuminten, Jl. Asem Gede 14, Kranggan. Tel: [phone]
2. Gudeg Kebon Dalem, Jl. P Mangkubumi (di sebelah selatan Tugu or 'south of the Tugu monument'). No tel number.
3. Gudeg Pawon, Jl. Janturan No. 38, Warungboto. Tel: [phone]
4. Gudeg Permata, Jl. Gajah Mada (di samping Bioskop Permata or 'next to Permata cinema'). Tel: [phone]
5. Gudeg Sedhem, Jl HOS Cokroaminoto (di sebelah utara SMU 1). Tel: [phone].

Other must-eats there include "bakso" (meatballs, usually served in soups with/without noodles), "soto" (chicken soup) and "martabak" (meat-filled pancakes). It will be great if you can read Indonesian, as Monggo Mampir did not just list down the eateries, but also detailed the history of the food items, and the stories of the famous stalls and the cooks behind those eateries. The author is Syafaruddin Murbawono (Publisher: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2009). Nice photos as well.

[GordonS]

Wow, a lot of great tips in there, many thanks!

I'll spend some time later trying to figure out exactly where all of these are on the map, and I'll certainly be on the lookout for that guide you mentioned (even though I can't read Indonesian :)

My trip is also mainly to visit Borobudur and Prambanan, but I expect we'll be eating in Yogyakarta 5-6 times.

[klyeoh]

Just be careful when choosing street eats in Indonesia, GordonS. BTW, you can MBok Berek restaurants on the way back to Jogja from Borobudur, whereas Ny Suharti is the one along the route to the Prambanan Temple.

You can find one of the Gramedia bookshop branches at Malioboro Mall (the most modern mall in Jogja) on Malioboro Road - you can get the guide book there. And in case you want a break from Indonesian street eats, you can drop by J Co Donuts at the mall (same quality as Krispy Kreme), Starbucks or even Breadtalk bakery from Singapore (with its famous custard-filled buns with meat-floss topping).

Pics of Malioboro Mall, and one of the food stalls at the local handicraft market just a short jaunt down Malioboro Rd from the mall, which also has several well-patronised food stalls. Enjoy your trip!

[huiray]

Have you also done the search on CH with the more normal spelling of "Jogjakarta" ?

[klyeoh]

huiray - seems like the newer spelling is Yogyakarta, offcially, although Jogjakarta is still very often used in place names, etc., there.

I remembered back in the 1970s when it was spelt Djogjakarta!

[huiray]

Heh. True. Still, if you did do the searches for "Yogyakarta" and "Jogjakarta" on CH you *will* get different sets of results!

[klyeoh]

huiray - it's actually symptomatic of the way Indonesians think and behave: very little regard for discipline or method/procedure. In Yogya/Jogja/Djogja's case, everyone has his/her own way to spell or pronounce thename, but everyone will also know that they're all referring to that same city :-D

[GordonS]

I'd tried Yogyakarta and Jogyakarta, but not Jogjakarta :)